Researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes revealed the anticancer activity of PvD1, a plant defensin isolated from the common bean, on breast tumor cells and the ability of this defensin in hampering tumor cells’ adhesion to the blood-brain barrier cells. For this study, scientists combined spectroscopic techniques with atomic force microscopy (AFM) for evaluating the biomechanical changes that cells suffer upon PvD1 contact.
Nuno Bernardes1,2, Ana Sofia Ribeiro2, Sofia Abreu1, André F Vieira2, Laura Carreto3, Manuel Santos3, Raquel Seruca2, Joana Paredes2 and Arsenio M Fialho1 1Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Center for Biological and Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal;
2Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal;